


When I Miss You

by aleia



Series: My Salvation [3]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Episode Related, Family Dynamics, Friendship, Gen, Hospitalization, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24773791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aleia/pseuds/aleia
Summary: This was a request for OnWings for a scene with Carlos at the hospital with Owen while TK’s in a coma. I'm popping this request into this series, but since it's a series of episode fillers, if you've watched the series, they all kind of work outside the series.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: My Salvation [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683085
Comments: 11
Kudos: 121





	When I Miss You

Carlos startles when he feels the hand on his shoulder, but he relaxes as soon as he looks back and sees Paul. Carlos looks back at TK and wipes his face.

“No one’s kicking you out,” Paul says. “But the crew wants to come in if you’re okay with it.”

“Do they even know why I’m here?” Carlos knows Captain Stand didn’t know, but he never expected TK to tell Paul about them when he did. He’s never been brave enough to ask TK about anyone else.

“They’ve figured it out now. Marjan at least suspected he was seeing _someone_. Judd probably had an idea, or he would’ve reacted more. Even Judd isn’t going to make an issue out of it right now. Everyone just wants to be with him.”

Carlos nods. “I can’t even tell them what we are. I don’t know.”

“TK can help with that when he wakes up.”

Carlos chokes on a laugh. “That’s not going to go well.”

“Marjan suspected he was seeing someone for a reason. And even if he doesn’t want to say it, _I_ can tell how much he likes you.”

“I don’t even care if he gets mad when he wakes up. I just want him to wake up.” It’s possible that TK _will_ be mad. He only told Paul about whatever they’re doing by choice. He’s going to wake up and find out that all his friends know. But Carlos can’t imagine not sitting with him either.

Paul squeezes his shoulder. Maybe he nods to the rest of TK’s crew, because they come in quietly. 

“He’ll wake up,” Marjan says from behind him.

Carlos just has to hope she’s right.

***

Michelle and Captain Strand gang up on him to make him go home when it’s almost midnight.

“You can come back as much as you want. I’m not going to stop you,” Captain Strand says. “But if I got out of my uniform, so can you.”

Carlos doesn’t point out that the captain didn’t go home. Captain Strand only changed because Judd brought him a change of clothes. But Carlos isn’t TK’s family. He’s not even TK’s boyfriend. He’s not sure that he’s TK’s _anything_.

Michelle drives him home and orders him into the shower. If she hears him crying in the shower, she doesn’t comment when he comes back out.

“If you try to sleep now, you can go back in the morning and I’ll get Owen to take a break in the evening if I can.”

It’s not the first time Michelle has climbed in bed with him.

“We’re not even really together. I shouldn’t be this upset.”

“You can lie to everyone else as much as you want. You’ve been in love with that boy for a while and we both know it.”

***

Captain Strand is by TK’s bed when Carlos gets to TK’s room in the morning. Carlos offers him the breakfast they picked up on the way to the hospital.

“I thought you might want some real food. Michelle helped me figure out what you’d like.”

“Thank you.” TK’s dad takes the food and waves for Carlos to sit in the chair on the other side of TK’s bed.

“No change?” Carlos asks as he sits down.

“No change.”

Carlos nods. He takes TK’s hand. His fingers are warm, but he doesn’t squeeze back. The silence while Captain Strand eats isn’t as uncomfortable as Carlos expected. Maybe it helps that they’ve spoken on multiple calls even if they haven’t interacted much on a personal level.

“I’m not going to ask you what’s going on with you two,” Captain Strand says eventually. “TK can tell me when he wakes up.”

Carlos nods. It’s a relief. He wouldn’t lie. He’d admit that he doesn’t even know what they are or if TK would want him there, but it’s easier if he doesn’t have to.

***

When Judd comes by at lunch, he doesn’t just bring Owen lunch, he brings something for Carlos, too. Carlos thanks him and he just says, “It’s from Grace. She’ll be by with dinner. You can thank her then.”

They mostly leave him alone while they talk business. Carlos never really thought about how someone would need to take over for the captain, but it makes sense for it to be Judd.

“Not looking to make it permanent, but it won’t be the first time I’ve handled things. Don’t worry about it,” Judd says. He hugs Captain Strand before he leaves and then rests his hand on TK’s shoulder. He closes his eyes and mouths something that Carlos can’t hear. When he leaves, he doesn’t say anything to Carlos, but he claps his hand on Carlos’s shoulder and it’s more than Carlos expected.

The rest of the afternoon passes slowly. Nurses and doctors come by, but they don’t have anything new to say. No one knows why TK isn’t waking up. They turn on the TV and make ideal conversation about whatever they’re watching. They pretend to include TK even though he doesn’t respond. Paul and Marjan stop by and Paul hints at giving both of them a break, but he doesn’t push so neither Carlos or the captain leave. Grace brings them dinner and Michelle shows up so soon after Grace leaves that it’s obvious that they coordinated.

“You smell,” Michelle tells Captain Strand as soon as she releases him from their hug. “I made him go home and shower last night. I’m making you do it now. The nurses are going to start complaining.”

“I can’t leave him,” TK’s dad says. “I have to be here when he wakes up.”

“Just a few hours. I promise Carlos can handle him if he wakes up,” Michelle says. “ _And_ if he wakes up and you haven’t been taking care of yourself at all, he’ll be upset.”

“I’ll call you if anything changes,” Carlos says because he does want a few hours alone with TK even if it doesn’t make sense.

Owen sighs and gets up. He leans over the bed to kiss TK’s forehead and run his hand over TK’s hair. “I’ll only be a little offended if you decide to wake up for him son, and I promise you I’ll get over it.”

“Take a turn in the comfortable chair,” Captain Strand says when he pulls away and refocuses on Carlos. “It’s still awful, but it’s a little less awful.”

Carlos nods and hands the captain his phone so he can put in his number. When they’re gone, he takes the captain’s advice if only because there’s less machines on the other side of the bed so he can get closer to TK.

He hasn’t really talked to TK since the last time they were alone. He’s said few little things the same way everyone else does, but he’s not ready to say anything that matters with other people in the room. He also hasn’t felt comfortable doing more than just holding TK’s hand with his father watching. Once he’s sure they’re not going to come running back, Carlos moves the chair as close as possible and rests his head on the bed while he clutches TK’s arm.

“You know,” he says. “This is a little dramatic even for you. I promise you can cut it out and I’ll still spoil you rotten if you wake up. I can’t even cook for you like this. And your friend’s wife brought dinner that you’ll really be jealous you didn’t get to eat.”

When TK doesn’t respond, Carlos sits up and lets go of TK’s arm so he can cup his cheek. Carlos would have the beginnings of beard already, but TK’s only starting to get more than a little stubble.

“Sweetheart, we miss you so much. _I_ miss you so much. You missed our date. And even if you don’t care about the date part of it, I know you. You’ve been complaining about missing sex for a week. The sooner you wake up, the sooner we can take care of that.”

It’s the best argument Carlos can think of, but it doesn’t do any good. TK doesn’t lean into Carlos’s palm when Carlos brushes his thumb over TK’s cheek. It seems wrong to kiss his lips while he’s asleep, so Carlos settles for kissing TK’s forehead the way his father did.

***

When Carlos wakes up, his head is resting on TK’s bed and his arm is draped over TK’s chest. It’s as dark as a hospital room ever gets. His neck aches and he doesn’t hold in a groan as he sits up.

“Yeah. My neck still hurts from last night.”

Carlos sits up too quickly and then has the ridiculous instinctual worry that he woke TK. If only that was a real problem.

“It’s okay,” TK’s dad says. “I didn’t expect you to keep your distance. Though I’m assuming you know that if he wakes up and tells me that was the wrong decision, you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.”

“No. I…I’m sure he’d be okay with that.” Even when TK pushed him away romantically, he’s never pulled away from Carlos’s touch. Even at the police station when everything between them was a mess, he’d let Carlos wipe off his face. The two times they’ve been able to share a bed for the night, TK wanted to fall asleep with Carlos’s arms wrapped tightly around him.

“Michelle said you have a shift in the morning.”

“It’s not early,” Carlos says even though his shift _is_ early.

“I’m not going to kick you out, but Michelle will. She went with her mom to take your car back to your house and she’s on her way back to get you. And she’s right. He wouldn’t want you to not get enough sleep before going to work. It’s too dangerous. I’ll give you a call if anything changes.”

Carlos shrugs. He’d rather call in sick, but he’s not even sure TK would want him to. What’s he supposed to say? That the guy he’s not in a relationship with but he’s probably in love with is in the hospital? TK will probably think it’s crazy when he wakes up and finds out that Carlos stayed as long as he did.

The captain’s phone lights up and he gets up after reading the screen.

“Michelle’s on her way up. I’ll give you a minute alone.”

Carlos stands up. He cups TK’s cheek and kisses his forehead again. Then he sighs and leans down to whisper in his ear. “Te amo.”

Even TK probably knows enough Spanish that he’d recognize the words if he was awake. A part of Carlos really wished it would make him wake up so that he could freak out about it. But it didn’t change anything because life isn’t a fairytale. Carlos kisses his cheek once more and tells TK that he’ll be back after his next shift.

Of course, that’s if TK doesn’t wake up and freak out when he finds out how much Carlos cares.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, yes, Owen totally took a picture of Carlos sleeping with his head on the bed and his arm around TK. He knew that TK would want to see that. He probably held on to that picture for a little while after TK didn’t want to see Carlos right away, but TK liked it later. (I do think Owen did the, “Wait. I told him he was in trouble if you woke up and said he shouldn’t have been here or touching you at all. He had his arm around you. Is he in trouble? Paul said he knew about it and thought you’d be okay with it.” And TK was like, “Yes it’s fine. I’ve slept in the same bed with him. He can be alone with me when I’m sleeping. That ship has sailed.”
> 
> If you find typos in this and want to tell me, please do. I'll go in and fix them when I see your comment. :)
> 
> Links to my other site are on Tumblr and obviously you can also just follow me on tumblr if you want:  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lostinanimage


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